The Matisse Jazz Project

The Matisse Jazz Projectis music inspired by the iconic cut paper collages of Henri Matisse published in 1947 as Jazz. The twenty pieces composed by pianist Christopher Bakriges and performed with violinist Stanley Chepaitis correspond to each of the Matisse Jazz cutouts and his writings. Matisse viewed jazz as a “chromatic and rhythmic improvisation” and evoked the idea of a structure of rhythm and repetition broken by the unexpected action of improvisations. Matisse wrote, “There are wonderful things in real jazz, the talent for improvisation, the liveliness, the being at one with the audience.”  The Bakriges-Chepaitis collaboration leave their own stunningly touchingand virtuosic homage to the legacy of a leading figure in modern art.